Nearly all the winter damage I see in our customer’s lawns actually starts the summer before. The reason why is that the root system of the grass is damaged from under-watering which weakens the lawn. This creates problems in the winter (especially like this year when we had a snow late in the season.)
So how do you prevent winter damage to your lawn and landscape in the summer? It may sound obvious, but the first thing you should do is look at it. I mean really look at it. Most customers assume their sprinklers are working fine. But the problem is Mother Nature has stopped helping. It’s been weeks since we’ve had rain, and we should have 100 plus temperatures for the next month or more which means our lawns and landscapes are completely dependent on how well our sprinkler system is working.
The nice thing is you don’t really even have to turn your sprinkler on to know if they’re working well. Simply take a five minute walk around your home and look at your lawn and landscape. Look for droopy leaves on your shrubs or trees, and watch for brown areas in your bermuda. St. Augustine leaf blades will fold in half with they get get stressed and will become stunted. If you can stand back and see areas in your lawn that aren’t as tall or green as the rest of the lawn you probably have watering issues.
Often the fix is as simple as replacing or unclogging a head or adding more time to your controller. You can click here for our free watering guide but the short version for the summer is…
> Two days per week
> Three starts times of 2am, 4am, 6am
> 10 minutes per zone for normal spray heads (20 minutes for rotary heads)
If you have questions or need help programming your sprinkler system or making sure your system is in top condition give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at [email protected]. We offer affordable sprinkler system inspections and tune-ups that will guarantee adequate water coverage for your lawn. Our certified irrigation technicians can also install water-conserving nozzles and applicators so that water usage is as efficient as possible